ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — a partner
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — for sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. hand — help
  15. field — a subject
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mate — a friend
  20. shower — rain
  21. craft — boats
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mate — to breed
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com